Briga Heelan

Briga Heelan
Born (1987-04-02) April 2, 1987
Andover, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress, comedian
Years active 2009–present
Spouse(s) Rene Gube (m. 2015)

Briga Heelan (pronunciation /ˈbriːɡɑː/ BREE-gah;[1] born April 2, 1987)[2] is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on the sitcoms Cougar Town, Ground Floor, and Undateable.

Early life

Heelan was born in Andover, Massachusetts,[3] the daughter of actress and Lowell Public Schools teacher Kimball Heelan and playwright Kevin Heelan.[1][4] She has a brother named Conor.[4] Heelan's father, as well as being a dramatist, has been a faculty member at Phillips Andover Academy since 1983.[5] Her parents met when her father was getting his Master's degree at Smith College.[4]

Heelan attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts and studied for a year at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, before transferring to the University of Southern California.[1]

Career

Heelan initially thought she was going to be in musical theatre.[6] She first met her Ground Floor co-star, Skylar Astin, at a musical theatre convention.[6]

Heelan's break-out TV role was on Cougar Town.[7] She is credited as being a recurring character on Undateable and appears in three episodes plus the pilot. She was able to shoot both Bill Lawrence-helmed Ground Floor and Undateable simultaneously,[8] as both comedies are multi-camera, which require fewer production days than single-camera days.[9]

On Heelan's role in Ground Floor, TV critic Alan Sepinwall said Heelan is "simply terrific as Jenny: warm and quirky while always feeling like a strong and independent character".[10][11] The Los Angeles Times said Heelan "makes Ground Floor watchable", describing her as "remarkably alive and in the moment; she makes real all that she touches. I could easily recommend tuning in just to watch her work – and hereby do."[12]

Personal life

Heelan currently lives in Los Angeles, California.[1]

On her unusual name, she said, "It's an Irish name. In fact, my last name was O'Heelahan back in the day. And Briga, I read somewhere, is some pagan Celtic goddess, which sounds great, so I really like saying that. But I was named after my grandmother's best friend, who was Irish and came from Dublin."[1]

On October 16, 2014, Heelan became engaged to her Ground Floor co-star Rene Gube.[13] They were married on May 8, 2015.[14][15] On October 31, 2016, it was announced they are expecting their first child.[16]

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Soroff, Jonathan (May 2014). "Briga Heelan - From the Ground Up". Improper Bostonian. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Briga D Heelan, "United States Public Records"". United States Public Records. FamilySearch. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Meet the Cast – Part 3. Name: Briga Heelan". Prospect Theater Company's Weblog. October 14, 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "Kevin Heelan: Instructor of Playwriting, Acting and Directing". Phillips Academy Andover. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Britton, Sharon (Fall 1997). "Kevin Wheelan: Bring On the Ghosts". Andover Bulletin. Phillips Academy. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 Mitovich, Matt Webb (14 November 2013). "Ground Floor's Briga Heelan: 8 Things to Know About the TBS Comedy's Pretty 'Revelation'". TVLine. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (20 March 2012). "Review: 'Cougar Town' - 'Something Big': Who's Your Daddy". HitFix. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  8. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (29 May 2014). "Interview: Bill Lawrence and Adam Sztykiel on 'Undateable' and The State of TV Comedy". HitFix. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (5 September 2013). "Briga Heelan Back On NBC Comedy 'Undateable' As Recurring". Deadline. PMC. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (13 November 2013). "Opposites Attract Comedy from Lawrence & Malins a Reminder that Multi-Cam Can Be Fun". HitFix. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (17 January 2014). "Brody Has to Choose Between Mansfield and Jenny; Will the Show Come Back?". HitFix. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  12. ↑ Lloyd, Robert (14 November 2013). "TV review: Briga Heelan makes 'Ground Floor' watchable". L.A. Times. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Gube, Rene (16 October 2014). "renegube: I'm out the game.". Instagram. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Heelan, Briga (9 May 2015). "brigaheelan: My last morning as an unmarried woman. IM READY!!!!!!!". Instagram. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  15. ↑ Heelan, Briga (9 May 2015). "brigaheelan: Was surrounded by love in every way last night...". Instagram. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  16. ↑ Juneau, Jen (1 November 2016). "Briga Heelan and Rene Gube Expecting First Child". People. Retrieved 18 November 2016.

External links

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